<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><p>A 3-year old patient with acute myelogenous leukemia developed fever and chills during transfusion of packed red cells. A preliminary workup suggested that a group AB donor unit had been issued to a Group A patient. However, a discrepancy between the ABO group of the original donor unit segment (A) and blood taken from the IV tubing (AB) and the patient’s pre- and posttransfusion samples (A and AB, respectively) suggested another reason for the weak reactivity of some samples with anti-B. The patient’s chart revealed that vancomycin, reported to be a cause of non-immune agglutination of red cells, had been injected into the IV tubing one hour prior to transfusion. Further testing confirmed that the patient’s febrile response to transfusion was consistent with a nonhemolytic transfusion reaction and was unrelated to the drug-induced, pseudo ABO problem.</p></abstract>

A 3-year old patient with acute myelogenous leukemia developed fever and chills during transfusion of packed red cells. A preliminary workup suggested that a group AB donor unit had been issued to a Group A patient. However, a discrepancy between the ABO group of the original donor unit segment (A) and blood taken from the IV tubing (AB) and the patient’s pre- and posttransfusion samples (A and AB, respectively) suggested another reason for the weak reactivity of some samples with anti-B. The patient’s chart revealed that vancomycin, reported to be a cause of non-immune agglutination of red cells, had been injected into the IV tubing one hour prior to transfusion. Further testing confirmed that the patient’s febrile response to transfusion was consistent with a nonhemolytic transfusion reaction and was unrelated to the drug-induced, pseudo ABO problem.

Case report: ABO discrepancy due to vancomycin complicating a transfusion reaction investigation


Immunohematology

Case report: ABO discrepancy due to vancomycin complicating a transfusion reaction investigation

A 3-year old patient with acute myelogenous leukemia developed fever and chills during transfusion of packed red cells. A preliminary workup suggested that a...

Case report: ABO discrepancy due to vancomycin complicating a transfusion reaction investigation

Published Online: Dec 27, 2020

Page range: 119 - 120

DOI: https://doi.org/10.21307/immunohematology-2019-1079

© 1989 D.M. Gilbert et al., published by Sciendo.